V-shaped snowplow blade with trip edge and pivotable snow shield

ABSTRACT

A multi-position snowplow blade, a snowplow incorporating the blade and a method of use thereof. The blade includes left and right wings that each having a trip edge pivotally engaged therewith. Each trip edge includes a lower section of a moldboard, a cutting edge, and a snow shield. A biasing assembly biases the trip edge into alignment with an upper section of the moldboard. The trip edges trip when the blade strikes an obstacle on a surface being plowed. When the trip edge trips, it pivots about a horizontal axis and relative to the associated upper section. Each snow shield pivotally engages the lower section of the associated trip edge and pivots relative thereto when the trip edge trips. The pivotal motion of the two snow shields widens a gap therebetween and helps to reduce the possibility of damage to the pivoting trip edges.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed to equipment for snow removal. In particularthe disclosure relates to a snowplow blade. Specifically, the disclosureis directed to a V-shaped snowplow blade with a left wing and a rightwing that each have a trip edge thereon. The trip edge comprises a partof the moldboard of the blade along with a cutting edge (or wear board)that is secured thereto. When the blade strikes an obstacle on a surfacewhile clearing snow therefrom, one or both trip edges will pivot aboutan associated horizontal axis and relative to an upper section of themoldboard. When both trip edges trip and pivot and begin to contact eachother, the snow shield at the innermost side of the trip edge will pivotabout a vertical axis and momentarily move away from the other snowshield.

BACKGROUND Background Information

Snowplows are used to remove accumulated snow from surfaces such asroadways and sidewalks. The plows typically comprise some type ofvehicle, such as a truck or utility vehicle, and a snowplow blade thatis mounted to the vehicle by a hitch assembly. Snowblade blades can bestraight blades, V-shaped blades that present an apex as the leadingedge of the blade, and adjustable blades that can be manipulated to forma V-shape, an inverted V-shape, or be configured as a straight blade.The hitch assembly can be utilized to manipulate the blade by raising orlowering the same. In some instances, the hitch assembly can also beused to angle the snowplow blade relative to a vertical axis of thevehicle to more effectively remove snow from a surface.

Regardless of the configuration of the snowplow blade, these bladestypically include a concavely-curved surface for gathering snow from asurface over which the vehicle and blade travel and redirecting the snowaway from the surface. This curved surface is known as the moldboard andis typically fabricated from a material such as steel and or evenstainless steel. The moldboard is therefore a relatively expensive pieceof equipment. In order to preserve the integrity of the moldboard andincrease the component's life, a separate cutting edge (also known as awear board, wear blade, or scraper) is removably engaged the bottom edgeof the moldboard. The cutting edge is the component of the snowplowblade that will travel along the surface of the roadway or sidewalk andscrape snow off the same, directing that snow upwardly toward themoldboard. The cutting edge may be fabricated from less-expensivematerials than the moldboard. In some embodiments, the cutting edge maybe fabricated from a less expensive steel or from materials such asurethane. Over time, the cutting edge will be worn down by its constantcontact with the roadways or sidewalks from which the snowplow bladeremoves snow. If the cutting edge is worn down to too great an extent,the moldboard may start to contact the ground and become damaged.Consequently, when it is determined the cutting edge has reached thispoint, the cutting edge may be removed from the moldboard and bereplaced with a new cutting edge.

One of the issues that occurs when clearing snow is that the roadwaysand sidewalks can include solid obstacles such as manhole covers, unevensidewalk slabs, curbs, and so on. If the snowplow is moving along theroadway or sidewalk with the snowplow blade in a lowered positionremoving snow from the surface, when the blade strikes the obstacle, theimpact of that strike can damage the blade or the hitch assembly. Theimpact force can also be transferred back into the vehicle making theride jarring and uncomfortable for the snowplow operator.

In order to aid in addressing this problem, some snowplow blades havebeen configured to trip when they strike solid obstacles. This“tripping” has taken two different forms in the prior art. In someinstances, the entire snowplow blade (moldboard plus cutting edge) willlift vertically and/or pivot slightly about a horizontal axis as a unitwhen an obstacle is struck. In some instances, the horizontal axis aboutwhich the entire blade pivots is an axis located on the hitch assembly.Examples of the entire moldboard tripping include U.S. Pat. No.4,074,408 (Niemela) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,340 (Moore).

In other instances, only the cutting edge of the snowplow blade willtrip when an obstacle is struck by the cutting edge. In some instancesthe cutting edge will lift vertically to a certain degree relative tothe moldboard. In other instances, the cutting edge will pivot relativeto the moldboard about a horizontal axis. Examples of snowplows whereonly the cutting edge trips include U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,803 (Cote), U.S.Pat. No. 5,025,577 (Verseef), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,113 (Jones).

In some instances, the snowplow blades can include both moldboardtripping and cutting edge (i.e., wear blade) tripping. An example ofthis configuration is found in U.S. Pat. No. 9,051,460 (Summers et al).

V-shaped snowplow blades present a particular problem when they strikeobstacles in the roadway or on the sidewalk. V-shaped snowplow bladesincludes a left side blade or “left wing” and a right side blade or“right wing”. The left wing and right wing may be fixedly secured to oneanother so that the blade is permanently V-shaped. In these instances,the blades are frequently mounted that the entire moldboard (i.e., theentire blade) trips when the blade encounters an obstacle. In otherinstances, the central region between the left wing and right wing andbelow a shaft to which the wings are attached will be free of a cuttingedge. A trippable cutting edge will be engaged with the left wing andanother trippable cutting edge will be engaged with the right wing. Thetwo cutting edges will be sufficiently distanced from one another so asnot to strike one another when they trip. If the two cutting edges arephysically too close to one another then, when they trip, they mightstrike one another and become damaged.

In other instances, the V-shaped blade is adjustable in configuration asindicated earlier herein. U.S. Pat. No. 9,051,460 (Summers et al)referred to earlier herein discloses a multi-position V-shaped snowplowblade that can be adjusted to various different configurations. The leftwing and right wing of these adjustable V-shaped blades will connect toa central hinge and will be rotatable about a vertical axis that extendsalong the central hinge. The region between the bottom regions of theleft wing and right wing is generally triangular in shape and a separatecomponent, a snow catcher or snow shield, is engaged with each wing. Theshield(s) close off the triangular shaped gap between the bottom regionsof the left wing and right wing and will contact the surface so that asthe blade travels over the surface snow is cleared from even below thecentral hinge. When the blade is in an inverted V-shape with the apex asthe leading part of the blade, this arrangement does not present toomany issues if the wear blade on only one or the other of the left wingand right wing trips. However, if the snowplow blade impacts an obstaclethat causes the cutting edges or wear blades on both the left and rightwings to trip substantially simultaneously, then the snow shields on thetwo wings may contact or interfere with one another when the cuttingedges both pivot. This interference may prevent the cutting edges fromtripping properly and/or can result in damage to the cutting edges oreven to the moldboard.

SUMMARY

A snowplow blade, a snowplow incorporating the blade and a method of usethereof is disclosed herein. The blade includes left and right wingsthat each having a trip edge pivotally engaged therewith. Each trip edgeincludes a lower section of a moldboard, a cutting edge, and a snowshield. A biasing assembly biases the trip edge into alignment with anupper section of the moldboard. The trip edges trip when the bladestrikes an obstacle on a surface being plowed. When the trip edge trips,it pivots about a horizontal axis and relative to the associated uppersection. Each snow shield pivotally engages the lower section of theassociated trip edge and pivots relative thereto when the trip edgetrips. The pivotal motion of the two snow shields widens a gaptherebetween and helps to reduce the possibility of damage to thepivoting trip edges.

The snowplow blade in one embodiment is a multi-position blade. In otherembodiments, the snowplow blade is a V-shaped snowplow blade (V-blade)that has left and right wings that may be arranged in a fixedorientation relative to each other. The blade includes a moldboard and atrip edge pivotally engaged therewith. The trip edge includes a lowersection of the moldboard and a cutting edge that is engaged with thelower section. A snow shield is pivotally engaged with the lower sectionproximate a first side thereof. The trip edges of both wings of theblade will automatically pivot about an associated horizontal axis whentripped, i.e., when one or both trip edges strike an obstacle on asurface being cleared of snow during plowing. If both the left wing andright wing strike an obstacle and trip substantially simultaneously, thedisclosed configuration of the snowplow blade will substantially preventinterference between the pivoting trip edges by pivoting the snowshields of the trip edges away from each other and thereby increasingthe effective distance between the pivoting trip edges. The pivotingmotion of the trip edges will tend to reduce the likelihood of damage tothe cutting edges, the lower sections, the snow shields, and themoldboards of the two wings. The trip edge returns to its originalposition under spring force when the trip event is over. Additionally,the snow shields each return to their original position under springforce when the trip event is over.

In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mayprovide a blade for a snowplow comprising a left wing and a right wing,wherein each of the left wing and the right wing includes a moldboard; atrip edge; and a biasing assembly that biases the trip edge intoalignment with the moldboard; wherein when the trip edge is tripped byencountering an obstacle on a surface being cleared of snow by theblade, the biasing assembly enables the trip edge to pivot about ahorizontal axis and relative to the moldboard; and wherein a portion ofthe trip edge is pivotally engaged with a rest of the trip edge and theportion of the trip edge pivots relative to the rest of the trip edgewhen the trip edge trips.

In one embodiment, the portion of the trip edge is a snow shield and thesnow shield of the left wing may be located adjacent the snow shield ofthe right wing; and wherein the snow shields may be configured to pivotaway from each other when the trip edges on the left wing and the rightwing are substantially simultaneously tripped. In one embodiment, eachtrip edge comprises a first member; and a snow shield; wherein the snowshield is the portion of the trip edge that is pivotally engaged withthe rest of the trip edge; and wherein the rest of the snow shield isthe first member; and wherein the snow shield is configured to pivotabout the axis relative to the first member between a first position anda second position. In one embodiment, the first member may have a firstside; and the axis about which the snow shield pivots is oriented may beparallel to the first side of the first member. In one embodiment, theleft wing and right wing may be selectively rotatable about a verticalaxis; and the first side of the first member may be inclined at an anglerelative to the vertical axis.

In one embodiment, the left wing and the right wing may extend outwardlyfrom a vertical axis; and the snow shield may angle rearwardly from afirst side of the first member and inwardly toward the vertical axis. Inone embodiment, the blade may further comprise a spring assembly thaturges the snow shield into the first position. In one embodiment, theblade may be a multi-position blade that further comprises a centralhinge with which the left wing and right wing are operationally engagedand about which the left wing and the right wing may be selectivelypivotable into a number of different configurations. In one embodiment,the biasing assembly may be a spring assembly. In one embodiment, thetrip edge of each of the left wing and the right wing may include acutting edge that is adapted to contact the surface from which snow isto be removed by the blade when the trip edge is in a non-trippedposition. In one embodiment a bottom end of the snow shield of the tripedge of each of the left wing and the right wing may be adapted tocontact the surface from which snow is to be removed when the trip edgeis in a non-tripped position. In one embodiment the trip edge mayfurther comprise a skid shoe that is operatively engaged with the tripedge, and the skid shoe may pivot in unison with the trip edge.

In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mayprovide a method of preventing damage to a blade of a snowplowcomprising operatively engaging a left wing and a right wing of theblade of the snowplow with a central shaft; providing a trip edge on amoldboard of each of the left wing and the right wing; biasing the tripedge into alignment with the moldboard; biasing a snow shield providedon the trip edge toward the central shaft; pivoting the trip edgerelative to the moldboard about a horizontal axis when the trip edgeimpacts an obstacle on a surface from which the blade is clearing snowand trips; and pivoting the snow shield relative to a rest of the tripedge.

In one embodiment, the pivoting of the trip edge about the horizontalaxis may include breaking contact between the trip edge and the surfacefrom which the blade is clearing snow. In one embodiment, in thepivoting of the snow shield may include pivoting the snow shield aboutan axis that extends parallel to a first side of a first member of thetrip edge. In one embodiment, the pivoting of the snow shield mayinclude pivoting the snow shield on the left wing in a first directionand pivoting the snow shield on the right wing in an opposite seconddirection; and increasing a gap defined between the snow shield on theleft wing and the snow shield on the right wing. In one embodiment, themethod may further comprise pivoting the trip edge in an oppositedirection after the trip edge has tripped; and pivoting the trip edge inthe opposite direction may include pivoting the trip edge back intoalignment with the moldboard under spring force. In one embodiment, thepivoting of the snow shield may include pivoting the snow shield awayfrom the central shaft when the trip edge trips and is pivoted out ofalignment with the moldboard; and wherein the method further may includepivoting the snow shield back toward the central shaft when the tripedge moves back into alignment with the moldboard.

In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mayprovide a snowplow comprising a vehicle; a multi-position snowplowblade; and a hitch assembly that selectively secures the multi-positionsnowplow blade to the vehicle; and wherein the multi-position snowplowblade comprises a left wing and a right wing each including a moldboard;a trip edge that is selectively pivotable about a horizontal axis whentripped; and a biasing assembly that biases the trip edge into alignmentwith the moldboard; wherein the trip edge includes a snow shield that ispivotally engaged with a rest of the trip edge; and wherein the snowshield is pivotable relative to the rest of the trip edge when the tripedge pivots about the horizontal axis. In one embodiment, the hitchassembly may be operable to reconfigure the multi-position snowplowblade and to maneuver the multi-position snowplow blade relative to theutility vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the followingdescription, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctlypointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanyingdrawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part ofthe specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and otherexample embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will beappreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groupsof boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of theboundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that insome examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or thatmultiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, anelement shown as an internal component of another element may beimplemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore,elements may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a left side elevation view of a snowplow comprising a utilityvehicle upon which is mounted a V-shaped blade in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front, top, left, isometric perspective view of the blade ofFIG. 1 in accordance with the present disclosure shown on its own.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the blade of FIG. 2 illustrating theadjustability of the blade.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the blade with the hitch assemblyomitted for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 5 is a partial rear elevation view of the left wing of the bladewith the skid shoe partially removed for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 6 is a left side elevation view of the left wing of the blade takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section through the left wing of the blade taken alongline 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section through the left wing of the blade taken alongline 8-8 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a partial left side elevation view of the snowplow in use andshowing the blade traveling along a surface removing snow, and furthershowing a solid obstacle a distance in front of the blade.

FIG. 10A is a partial, enlarged left side elevation view showing theposition of the blade when in contact with the surface and immediatelybefore reaching the obstacle on the surface; and wherein the snow hasbeen removed for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 10B is a rear elevation view of the blade shown in the positionillustrated in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11A is a partial, enlarged left side elevation view showing thelower section of the left wing tripping as it encounters the obstacle onthe surface.

FIG. 11B is a rear elevation view of the blade shown in FIG. 11A showingthe pivotal motion of the snow shield relative to the rest of the tripedge. The fasteners which secure the mounting plate to the snow shieldhave been omitted from this figure for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 12 is a partial left side elevation view of the lower section ofthe left wing returning to its original position.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a utility vehicle 10 upon which is mounted a snowplow bladein accordance with the present disclosure, generally indicated at 12. Asillustrated, the vehicle 10 includes a platform 10 a upon which anoperator will stand. Vehicle 10 also includes a control panel 10 b thatthe operator uses to control the vehicle 10 and blade 12. Utilityvehicle 10 is illustrated as a relatively small vehicle that may be usedby a landscaping company or an individual to maintain driveways,sidewalks, and smaller surfaces that need to be cleared of snow butmight require the vehicle to move in tight spaces. It will be understoodthat utility vehicle 10 is exemplary only and may be any vehicle that iscapable of being used in winter conditions. It will be understood thatif the vehicle 10 is a larger truck, the snowplow blade 12 may befabricated to be of a size suitable for use therewith and that in suchinstances, the vehicle 10 and blade 12 may be utilized to clear snowfrom roadways, parking lots, and other larger surfaces.

FIG. 2 shows snowplow blade 12 on its own. Blade 12 is a V-blade that,as illustrated and described herein, may be reconfigured to presentdifferent snow-clearing profiles as the conditions require. The V-blademay therefore be referred to as an adjustable snowplow blade or amulti-position snowplow blade. The adjustability of blade 12 will bediscussed later herein.

Blade 12 comprises a left wing 12A and a right wing 12B that are eachoperably engaged with a central hinge 14. Each of the left wing 12A andright wing 12A may be individually pivoted about a vertical axis “Y”(FIGS. 3 and 4) that extends along a shaft (not shown) of central hinge14.

A hitch assembly 16 is operably engaged with left wing 12A, right wing12B, and central hinge 14. Hitch assembly 16 is utilized to secure blade12 to utility vehicle 10 and is operable to raise, lower, andreconfigure blade 12. Hitch assembly 16 as illustrated is exemplary onlyand it should be understood that any other suitable type of hitchassembly may be utilized to secure blade 12 to utility vehicle 10 and topermit operation of blade 12. Hitch assembly 16 will therefore not bedescribed in any detail herein. One suitable hitch assembly foroperatively engaging the blade 12 to utility vehicle 10 is disclosed ina copending patent application assigned to the present Assignee, VentureProducts, Inc. That copending patent application is U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/150,873, filed Oct. 3, 2018, entitled “UniqueAttachment Assembly and Method of Use”. The entire disclosure of thiscopending application is incorporated herein by reference.

As best seen in FIG. 3, a first cylinder 18A of hitch assembly 16operably engages left wing 12A to hitch assembly 16 and a secondcylinder 18B operably engages right wing 12B to hitch assembly 16. Firstand second cylinders 18A, 18B may be hydraulic cylinders that areoperatively linked to the hydraulic system of vehicle 10 or are engagedwith a separate hydraulic system provided on vehicle 10. Alternatively,first and second cylinders 18A, 18B may be pneumatic cylinders that areoperatively linked to a pneumatic system of vehicle 10 or are engagedwith a separate pneumatic system provided on vehicle 10. Alternatively,first and second cylinders 18A, 18B may be electrically actuated.

First and second cylinders 18A, 18B are separately operable from vehicle10 to pivot the associated left wing 12A and right wing 12B about thevertical axis “Y” (FIGS. 3 and 4) extending along central hinge 14.First cylinder 18A is operable to pivot left wing 12A about verticalaxis “Y” as indicated by the arrows “A” in FIG. 3. Similarly, secondcylinder 18B is operable to pivot right wing 12B about vertical axis “Y”as indicated by the arrows “B” in FIG. 3. By selectively pivoting leftwing 12A and right wing 12B, snowplow blade 12 can be configured to begenerally an inverted V-shape when viewed from above from vehicle 10 asshown in solid lines in FIG. 3. Snowplow blade 12 can also be configuredso that the left wing 12A and right wing 12B are aligned in a sameplane. In this instance, the blade 12 assumes the same shape as astraight snowplow blade, as is shown in phantom in FIG. 3. Left wing 12Aand right wing 12B may further be reconfigured to generally assume aV-shape when viewed from above from the vehicle 10, as further shown inphantom in FIG. 3. Still further, each of the left wing 12A and rightwing 12B is able to be positioned anywhere between the generallyinverted V-shape and the V-shape. Consequently, the snowplow blade 12 isselectively manipulated to assume a variety of different configurationsto best enable the device to remove snow from different surfaces.

Left wing 12A and right wing 12B are substantially identical instructure and function and are engaged with central hinge 14 as mirrorimages of one another. The following description is directly primarilyto left wing 12A but it will be understood that the description appliesequally to right wing 12B. Differences between the left wing 12A andright wing 12B will be pointed out.

Referring mainly to FIGS. 2 to 8 and 10A, left wing 12A of blade 12comprises a moldboard which includes an upper section 20, a lowersection 22, a shield 23 (also referred to herein as a snow shield 23),and a cutting edge 24. The cutting edge 24 may also be referred toherein as a wear board or wear blade. Shield 23 and cutting edge 24 areoperatively engaged with lower section 22 of the moldboard. Lowersection 22, shield 23, and cutting edge 24, together, form a trip edgethat is able to pivot about a horizontal axis “X” (FIGS. 5, 6, 10A and11A) relative to upper section 20 of moldboard. Lower section 22 may bedescribed herein as a first member of the trip edge, snow shield 23 maybe described herein as a second member of the trip edge, and cuttingedge 24 may be described herein as a third member of the trip edge.

The upper section 20 and lower section 22 of the moldboard arefabricated from the same material. Suitable materials are steel orstainless steel. It is not contemplated that the lower section 22 willcontact the surface “G” (FIG. 9) over which the V-blade 12 is traveling.Instead, the components of left wing 12A that will contact the surface“G” or be in close proximity thereto are cutting edge 24 and snow shield23. Typically, the cutting edge 24 is fabricated from a differentmaterial than upper section 20 and lower section 22. In one embodiment,the cutting edge 24 is fabricated from a less expensive and less durablematerial than upper section 20 and lower section 22 such as urethane ora less expensive steel. Since snow shield 23 also contacts the surface“G”, snow shield 23 may also tend to wear away over time through contactwith surface “G”. For this reason, snow shield 23 may be fabricated fromthe same material or a similar material to cutting edge 24. In otherembodiments, the snow shield 23 may be fabricated from the same materialas upper and lower sections 20, 22 of the moldboard.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, upper section 20 of the moldboard is agenerally concavely-curved component having a front surface 20 a, a rearsurface 20 b (FIG. 4), a top edge 20 c, a bottom edge 20 d (FIG. 10A), afirst side 20 e (FIG. 5), and a second side 20 f. A first plate 20 g(FIG. 4), a second plate 20 h, and a third plate 20 g extend rearwardlyfrom the rear surface 20 b.

A first plate 20 g and a second plate 20 h are vertically oriented andextend outwardly from rear surface 20 b, generally at right anglesthereto. First plate 20 g is located a short distance inwardly fromfirst side 20 e and second plate 20 h is located a short distanceinwardly from second side 20 f. First and second plates 20 g, 20 h arelaterally spaced a distance apart from one another and originate adistance downwardly from top edge 20 c of upper section 20. A leadingportion of each plate 20 g, 20 h terminates proximate bottom edge 20 d.A trailing portion of each plate 20 g, 20 h extends downwardly for adistance below bottom edge 20 d of upper section 20, as can best be seenin FIG. 11A. With this arrangement, the trailing portion of each plate20 g, 20 h overlaps an upper region of the lower section 22 of themoldboard of left wing 12A but is not secured thereto.

Upper section 20 of the moldboard also includes a first plate 20 j (FIG.4), a second plate 20 k, and a third plate 20 m, which arehorizontally-oriented and parallel to one another. The plates 20 j, 20k, and 20 m extend outwardly from rear surface 20 b of upper section 20.First plate 20 j is located a distance vertically above second plate 20k, which is located a distance vertically above third plate 20 m. Firstplate 20 k and second plate 20 m extend horizontally between verticalfirst plate 20 g and central hinge 14. Central hinge 14 includes avertical shaft (not shown) around which an upper sleeve 14 a, a middlesleeve 14 b, and a lower sleeve 14 c are received. (The vertical axis“Y” about which left wing 12A and right wing 12B pivot extends alongthis shaft of central hinge 14.) Upper sleeve 14 a and lower sleeve 14 care welded to right wing 12B and middle sleeve 14 b is welded to leftwing 12A. In particular, first plate 20 j and second plate 20 k arewelded to middle sleeve 14 b of central hinge 14.

Third plate 20 m extends laterally outwardly from an opposite side offirst plate 20 g from first and second plates 20 j, 20 k. Third plate 20m extends towards second plate 20 h but terminates a distance laterallyaway from second plate 20 h. First cylinder 18A connects to third plate20 m. FIG. 3 shows that a connector for first cylinder 18A abuts anupper surface of third plate 20 m. It will be understood that in otherembodiments this connector for first cylinder 18A abuts a lower surfaceof third plate 20 m.

It should be noted that second wing 12B has two vertically orientedplates 20 g′, 20 h′. First and second plates 20 g, 20 h of left wing 12Aare substantially identical in structure to second 20 h′ of right wing12B. First plates 20 g and 20 g′ are slightly differently configuredrelative to one another with first plate 20 g′ being longer than firstplate 20 g. Second wing 12B includes three horizontally oriented plates20 j′, 20 k′ and 20 m′ that are substantially parallel to each other andarranged so that first plate 20 j′ is closest to the top edge of rightwing 12B. Second plate 20 k′ is located a distance vertically belowfirst plate 20 j′ and third plate 20 m′ is located a distance verticallybelow second plate 20 k′. First plate 20 j′ and second plate 20 k′extend between the vertical first plate 20 g′ and central hinge 14. Inparticular, first plate 20 j′ is welded to upper sleeve 14 a of centralhinge 14 and second plate 20 k′ is welded to lower sleeve 14 c ofcentral hinge 14. Third plate 20 m′ is substantially identical to thirdplate 20 m of left wing 12A and is substantially coplanar therewith.Third plate 20 m′ extends laterally from first plate 20 g towards secondplate 20 h but terminates a distance away from second plate 20 h. Thesecond cylinder 18B engages third plate 20 m′ in much the same manner asfirst cylinder 18A engages third plate 20 m. The arrangement of theengagement of left wing 12A, right wing 12B, and central hinge 14enables left and right wings 12A, 12B to be individually pivoted aboutcentral hinge 14 and relative to one another when actuated by cylinders18A and 18B, respectively.

It will be understood that in other embodiments the arrangement of thevertically-oriented first and second plates 20 g, 20 h and thehorizontally-oriented first, second, and third plates 20 j, 20 k, 20 mof left wing 12A may, instead, be provided on right wing 12B; and thevertically-oriented first and second plates 20 g′, 20 h′ andhorizontally-oriented first, second, and third plates 20 j′, 20 k′, 20m′ of right wing 12B may, instead, be provided on left wing 12A.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, upper section 20 of the moldboard alsoincludes a generally U-shaped plate 20 n that comprises a first leg 20n′, a second leg 20 n″, and a third leg 20 n′″. Plate 20 n is welded tothe inner surface of vertical second plate 20 h and first leg 20 n′ iswelded to rear surface 20 b of upper section 20. Second leg 20 n″ issubstantially horizontally oriented and parallel to first, second, andthird plates 20 j, 20 k, 20 m. Plate 20 n extends laterally fromvertical second plate 20 h towards first plate 20 g but terminates adistance therefrom. Third plate 20 m abuts second leg 20 n″ and islocated immediately above the same as can be seen in FIG. 4. Second leg20 n″ and third plate 20 m are welded to one another.

Referring to FIG. 3, a first aperture 20 p is defined in third plate 20m and a second aperture 20 q is defined in second leg 20 n″ of U-shapedplate 20 n. The first and second apertures 20 p, 20 q extend between theupper and lower surfaces of the respective plate. The purpose of thesetwo apertures 20 p, 20 q will be discussed later herein.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show that a first side plate 20 r is welded to first side20 e of left wing 12A proximate top edge 20 c thereof. Similarly, afirst side plate 20 r′ is welded to first side 20 e of right wing 12Aproximate the top edge thereof. The first side plates 20 r and 20 r′flank central hinge 14 and are positioned forwardly of the first plates20 j, 20 j′. First side plates 20 r, 20 r′ aid in preventing snow thatrides up the moldboard from becoming wedged between central hinge 14 andthe left and right wings 12A, 12B.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 to 8 and 10A to 11B, lower section 22 is agenerally rectangular member that is substantially concavely-curved whenviewed from the left side, as in FIG. 6. When V-blade 12 is in anuntripped or non-tripped condition, such as is illustrated in FIG. 6,the concave curvature of lower section 22 of the moldboard generallyfollows the radius of curvature of the upper section 20 thereof. Lowersection 22 has a front surface 22 a, a rear surface 22 b (FIG. 5), a topedge 22 c, a bottom edge 22 d, a first side 22 e, and a second side 22f.

Referring to FIG. 5, lower section 22 includes a first bracket 22 g, asecond bracket 22 h, a third bracket 22 j, a fourth bracket 22 k, afifth bracket 22 m, a sixth bracket 22 n, and a seventh bracket 22 p(FIG. 7). Brackets 22 g through 22 p are welded to rear surface 22 b oflower section 22 and extend rearwardly therefrom. All of the brackets 22g through 22 p are vertically oriented and are laterally spaced from oneanother. Each of the first bracket 22 g, second bracket 22 h, thirdbracket 22 j, fourth bracket 22 k, fifth bracket 22 m, and sixth bracket22 n extends generally from proximate top edge 22 c of lower section 22to proximate bottom edge 22 d thereof. First bracket 22 g and secondbracket 22 h are located a distance laterally apart that is sufficientto receive a rearward lower region of first plate 20 g of upper section20 therebetween. This rearward lower region of first plate 20 g is thepart of first plate 20 g that overlaps the upper region of lower section22. Third bracket 22 j is located a distance laterally away from secondbracket 22 h and the spacing between second bracket 22 h and thirdbracket 22 j is greater than the spacing between first bracket 22 g andsecond bracket 22 h. This arrangement can readily be seen in FIG. 5.Fourth bracket 22 k, fifth bracket 22 m, and sixth bracket 22 n arearranged in a similar fashion to first, second and third brackets 22 g,22 h, 22 j but are grouped as a mirror image of first, second, and thirdbrackets 22 g, 22 h, 22 h. The spacing between fifth bracket 22 m andsixth bracket 22 n is sufficient to receive the rearward lower region ofsecond plate 20 h of upper section 20 therebetween. The rearward lowerregion of second plate 20 h is the part of second plate 20 h thatoverlaps the upper region of lower section 22. The spacing betweenfourth bracket 22 k and fifth bracket 22 k is similar to the spacingbetween second bracket 22 h and third bracket 22 j. Aligned holes aredefined between the inner and outer surfaces of first bracket 22 g,first plate 20 g, second bracket 22 h, and third bracket 22 j.Similarly, aligned holes are defined between the inner and outersurfaces of fourth bracket 22 k, fifth bracket 22 m, second plate 20 h,and sixth bracket 22 n. The aligned holes are generally aligned alongthe plane where bottom edge 20 d of upper section 20 is adjacent topedge 22 c of lower section 22 (when lower section 22 is urged intovertical alignment with upper section 20). First bracket 22 g throughsixth bracket 22 n are all substantially identical in structure andfunction to one another.

Seventh bracket 22 p is different in configuration from all of the firstbracket 22 g through to the sixth bracket 22 n. Seventh bracket 22 p islocated between third bracket 22 j and fourth bracket 22 k. In theillustrated embodiment, seventh bracket 22 p is located closer to fourthbracket 22 k than to third bracket 22 j. The purpose of seventh bracket22 p will be discussed later herein.

Each of the first wing 12A and second wing 12B of blade 12 is providedwith a biasing assembly (FIG. 5) that urges the lower section 22 of theassociated wing into alignment with the upper section 22 thereof so thatblade 12 may be utilized to clear snow from a surface “G” as shown inFIG. 9. Stated otherwise, biasing assembly urges the trip edge intoalignment with the upper section 22 of the moldboard. In the illustratedembodiment, the biasing assembly is a spring assembly, particularly atorsion spring assembly. It will be understood that in otherembodiments, other types of biasing assembly or biasing mechanisms maybe utilized instead of the illustrated torsion spring assembly. Anysuitable mechanisms may be utilized that perform this same biasingfunction as the illustrated torsion spring assembly.

The illustrated torsion spring assembly includes a first sleeve 26(FIGS. 5 and 8) that extends between second bracket 22 h and thirdbracket 22 j. A first torsion spring 28 circumscribes first sleeve 26and fasteners 30 secure first sleeve 26 and thereby first torsion spring28 to first bracket 22 g, second bracket 22 h, and third bracket 22 j.First torsion spring 28 has a first end 28 a and a second end 28 b thatextend outwardly from the spring in opposite directions. First end 28 aextends through the aperture 20 p (FIG. 3) in third plate 20 m andcontacts rear surface 20 b of upper section 20. Second end 28 b extendsdownwardly from first torsion spring 28 and extends laterally through ahole 22 s (FIG. 8) through third bracket 22 j.

The torsion spring assembly further includes a second sleeve 32 (FIG. 5)that extends between fourth bracket 22 k and fifth bracket 22 m. Asecond torsion spring 34 circumscribes second sleeve 32 and fasteners 36secure second sleeve 32 and thereby second torsion spring 34 to fourthbracket 22 k, fifth bracket 22 m, and sixth bracket 22 n. Second torsionspring 34 has a first end 34 a and a second end 34 b that extendoutwardly from the spring in opposite directions. First end 34 a extendsthrough the aperture 20 q (FIG. 3) defined in second leg 20 n″ ofU-shaped plate 20 n and contacts rear surface 20 b of upper section 20.The second end 34 b extends downwardly from second torsion spring 34 andextends laterally through a hole (not shown) through fifth bracket 2 m.This arrangement is shown in FIG. 5.

The first ends 28 a and 34 a of the first and second torsion springs 28,34 contact the rear surface 20 b of the upper section and apply springforce thereto. The second ends 28 b and 34 b of the first and secondtorsion springs 28, 34 are fixedly engaged with the third bracket 22 jand fifth bracket 22 m, respectively, and thereby with the rear surface22 b of lower section 22. The second ends 28 b and 34 b apply springforce to lower section 22 and thereby bias lower section 22 and therebythe entire trip edge forwardly and into alignment with upper section 20.The spring force applied by the torsion spring assembly to keep the tripedge aligned with the upper section 20 of the moldboard is sufficient toensure that the blade 12 is capable of clearing snow “S” (FIG. 9) from asurface “G” without the trip edge tripping. The trip edge will only tripwhen blade 12 encounters an obstacle “G1” of a sufficient size that animpact of the wing 12A or 12B, or the entire blade 12 with the obstaclewill overcome the spring force provided by the torsion spring assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, left wing 12A includes a skid shoe 38 thataids in keeping cutting edge 24 slightly off the surface “G” to becleared. Skid shoe 38 is operatively engaged with seventh bracket 22 pof lower section 22 and is particularly useful when blade 12 is used toclear snow from gravel driveways or roadways. In particular, skid shoe38 may be utilized to raise or lower the blade 12 relative to thesurface “G”. As best seen in FIG. 6, skid shoe 38 includes a central rod38 a that has an enlarged curved shoe 38 b provided at a lower endthereof. Rod 38 a passes through a central bore of a skid shoe mount 38c that is welded to the trailing edge of seventh bracket 22 p. Shoe 38 bis located below the skid shoe mount 38 c and a section of rod 38 aextends outwardly beyond an upper end of skid shoe mount 38 c. Shoe 38 bis of a greater diameter than the diameter of the central bore of skidshoe mount 38 c. A through-hole (not shown) is defined in the section ofrod 38 a that extends outwardly beyond the upper end of skid shoe mount38 c. A pin 38 d is removably inserted through the through-hole toprevent rod 38 a from being withdrawn downwardly through skid shoe mount38 c.

A plurality of removable washers 38 e is received around rod 38 a inlocations above and below skid shoe mount 38 c. The operator of vehicle10 is able to set the distance between shoe 38 b and the lower end ofskid shoe mount 38 c by changing the number of washers 38 e locatedbetween shoe 38 b and the lower end of skid shoe mount 38 c. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, eight washers 38 e are located below skid shoemount 38 c and eight washers 38 e are located above skid shoe mount 38c. If the operator wishes to raise blade 12 off the ground to a greaterextent, he or she will remove pin 38 d and slide rod 38 a downwardly andout of skid shoe mount 38 c. An additional number of washers 38 e thatare illustrated as currently being located above skid shoe mount 38 c inFIG. 7 will then be placed on top of the washers 38 e which arecurrently illustrated as located below skid shoe mount 38 c. The rod 38a is then reinserted through the bore of skid shoe mount 38 c and pin 38d will be reengaged in the through-hole. Lowering the blade 12 willinvolve removing some of the washers 38 e from below the skid shoe mount38 c and placing them above the skid shoe mount 38 c. Theground-contacting surface of shoe 38 b may be coated with afriction-reducing material to allow shoe 38 b to slide relatively easilyover surface “G”. Because skid shoe 38 is engaged with seventh bracket22 p, skid shoe 38 will move in unison with lower section 22 of themoldboard. In other words, skid shoe 38 will move in unison with thetrip edge on blade 12.

As indicated earlier herein, the trip edge includes a snow shield 23(FIG. 2) that is a generally truncated triangular shape when viewed fromthe front. Since the shield 23 of right wing 12B is shown with greaterclarity in FIG. 2, the various features of the shield 23 of each of theleft and right wings 12A, 12B will be discussed with reference to theright wing 12B shown in that figure and the left wing 12A shown in FIG.5. Shield 23 has a front surface 23 a (FIG. 2), a rear surface 23 b(FIG. 5), a top edge 23 c, a bottom edge 23 d, a first side edge 23 e,and a second side edge 23 f. Second side edge 23 f of shield 23 ispositioned adjacent first side edge 22 e of lower section 22 and isinclined rearwardly therefrom and inwardly towards vertical axis “Y”. Inparticular, shield 23 is oriented at an obtuse angle relative to lowersection 22. The first side edges 23 e of the two shields 23 are locatedadjacent one another and generally along vertical axis “Y”. This can beseen in FIG. 4. At least a part of each shield 23 is generally alignedwith central hinge 14 when the trip edge is in an untripped condition.

Cutting edge 24 of left wing 12A is shown in FIGS. 2, 5. and 7 toinclude a front surface 24 a, a rear surface 24 b, a top edge 24 c, abottom edge 24 d, a first side edge 24 e, and a second side edge 24 f.An upper region of cutting edge 24 overlaps a bottom region of lowersection 22.

As best seen in FIGS. 5, 7, and 11B, a base plate 40 is providedproximate a lower region of lower section 22 and an upper region ofcutting edge 24. Base plate 40 includes a first leg 40 a that extendsfor a distance upwardly along the rear surface 22 b of lower section 22from proximate the bottom edge 22 d thereof. A plurality of fasteners 42secure first leg 40 a of base plate 40 to the upper region of cuttingedge 24 and a lower region of lower section 22. Base plate 40 furtherincludes a second leg 40 b that extends outwardly and rearwardly from anupper end of first leg 40 a. Second leg 40 b is oriented at an obtuseangle (slightly over 90 degrees) relative to first leg 40 a. A third leg40 c extends outwardly from a rear end of second leg 40 b and anglesrearwardly and downwardly therefrom. Third leg 40 c is oriented at anacute angle (less than 90 degrees) relative to an upper surface ofsecond leg 40 b. First, second, third, and fourth, fifth, sixth, andseventh brackets 22 g through 22 p terminate adjacent base plate 40.Base plate 40 extends from proximate first side 22 e of lower section 22to proximate second side 22 f thereof. This arrangement is shown in FIG.5. It should be noted that base plate 40 is notched to accommodate skidshoe 38.

A mounting plate 44 (FIGS. 5 and 10B) is secured to snow shield 23 by aplurality of fasteners 46. Mounting plate 44 is provided to strengthensnow shield 23. Mounting plate 44 is of a generally similar shape tosnow shield 23 but is smaller in dimension. Mounting plate 44 has afront surface (not numbered), a rear surface 44 a, a first side edge 44b, and a second side edge 44 c. The front surface of mounting plate 44is placed in abutting contact with the rear surface 23 b of snow shield23 and in such a way that the second side edge 44 c of plate 44 issubstantially aligned with the second side edge 23 f of snow shield 23.A pair of flanges 44 d extend outwardly from the rear surface 44 a ofmounting plate 44 in a region proximate second side edge 44 c. Flanges44 d are vertically spaced a distance apart from each other. Althoughnot illustrated herein, it will be understood that each flange 44 ddefines a hole therein that extends between the upper and lower surfacesof the flange 44 d.

A mounting cylinder 22 t extends is provided on rear surface 22 b oflower section 22 proximate first side edge 22. Mounting cylinder 22 t isshaped and sized to be received between the two vertically-spaced apartflanges 44 d provided on mounting plate 44. Mounting cylinder 22 tdefines a bore (not shown) therein that extends from an upper end of thecylinder 22 t to a lower end thereof. When mounting cylinder 22 t isreceived between the flanges 44 d, the bore of mounting cylinder 22 t isaligned with the holes defined in each of the two flanges 44 d. A pivotpin 48 is inserted through the aligned holes in flanges 44 d andmounting cylinder 22 t and the pin 48 secures snow shield 23 to lowersection 22. In particular, snow shield 23 is pivotally mounted to lowersection 22 by way of the mounting cylinder 22, flanges 44 d and pin 48.

Referring still to FIGS. 5 and 10B, a coil spring 50 extends between anubbin 44 e on rear surface 44 a of mounting plate 44 and a nubbin 22 g′extending outwardly from first bracket 22 g on lower section. A firstend (not numbered) of coil spring 50 is operatively engaged with nubbin44 e on mounting plate 44 and a second end (not numbered) of coil spring50 is operatively engaged with nubbin 22 g′ of first bracket 20 g.Nubbins 44 e and 22 g′ keep spring secured between mounting plate 44 andlower section 22. In accordance with the present disclosure, snow shield23 is urged by spring 50 into the first position or a “use position”(FIGS. 2 and 10B).

Snow shield 23 is configured to pivot about a pivot axis “Z” (FIGS. 5,10B and 11B) that extends along the shaft of pin 48. Snow shield 23 isable to pivot about the pivot axis “Z” relative to the rest of the tripedge. In particular, the snow shield 23 is able to pivot relative to thelower section 22 of the moldboard between a first position (FIG. 10B)and a second position (FIG. 11B). The pivot axis “Z” is orientedparallel to first side 22 e of lower section 22. It should be noted thatthe pivot axis “Z” is also oriented parallel to second side 23 f of snowshield 23 and to the first side 24 f of the cutting edge 24. The spring50 urges snow shield 23 into the first position, i.e., into a positionwhere the snow shield 23 will contact the surface “G” and assist inclearing snow from a surface “G” (FIG. 9). When blade 12 is being usedto remove snow “S” (FIG. 9) from the surface “G”, the entire trip edgeis biased or urged into general vertical alignment with upper section 20and the snow shield 23 is urged into the first position. When a tripevent occurs because an obstacle “G1” is impacted by blade 12, the tripedge will trip and will pivot about the horizontal axis “X” and into thesecond position (FIG. 11B). When snow shield 23 pivots from the firstposition to the second position, the snow shield 23 moves away fromcentral hinge 14 and from the vertical axis “Y” extending therealong.Simultaneous tripping of the trip edges of left wing 12A and right wing12B will cause the snow shields 23 of the two wings to impinge upon eachother as the gap between the pivoting trip edges narrows. Thisimpingement may interfere with the pivotal motion of the trip edgesabout their associated axes “X” and may lead to damage of the tripedges, and particularly to damage to the snow shields 23. As the snowshields 23 impinge upon each other, they will tend to push off of oneanother. The pushing force will tend to cause shield 23 of left wing 12Ato pivot about the associated pivot axis “Z” away from the snow shield23 of right wing 12B as indicated by arrow “E” in FIG. 11B. A similarpivotal motion of the snow shield 23 of the right wing 12B about itsassociated pivot axis “Z” and away from the snow shield 23 of the leftwing 12A in the opposite direction to arrow “E” will also occur. Becauseof the pivotal motion of the shields 23 about their associated axes “Z”as the trip edge pivots about axis “X”, shield 23 of left wing 12A willtranslate out of contact with the shield 23 of right wing 12A and viceversa. As a consequence of the snow shields 23 pivoting away from eachother, the gap between the first sides 23 e of the two snow shields 23increases in width and the two trip edges are therefore momentarily ableto pivot away from the surface “G”, “G1”, “G2” without further contactwith each other. The pivotal motion of the trip edges 22, 23, 24 abouttheir associated axes “X” will therefore tend to not be impeded and thechance of damage occurring to those two trip edges will tend to bereduced.

When cutting edge 24 is engaged with lower section 22 by fasteners 42,the bottom region of cutting edge 24 extends downwardly for a distancebelow the bottom end 22 d of lower section 22. As best seen in FIG. 5, abottom edge 24 d of cutting edge 24 and the bottom edge 23 d of shield23 are substantially coplanar and comprise the regions of blade 12 thatmay contact the surface “G” when blade 12 is used to clear materialssuch as snow from the surface “G”.

Having now described the various components of V-blade 12, an exemplarymethod of using the blade 12 is now described in particular reference toFIGS. 9 to 12. As indicated earlier herein, blade 12 is mounted to afront end of vehicle 10 by hitch assembly 16. Hitch assembly 16 not onlysecures blade 12 to vehicle 10 but is also the mechanism through whichblade 12 is manipulated in order to clear snow “S” from a surface “G”,“G1”, and “G2”.

An operator stands on platform 10 a (FIG. 1) of vehicle 10 and operatesvehicle 10 and blade 12 through manipulating controls 10 b. Vehicle 10is driven forwardly over the surface “G” in the direction indicated byarrow “C” in FIG. 9. Blade 12 is positioned to remove snow “S” from thesurface “G”. In other words, blade 12 is lowered via actuation of thehitch assembly 16 so that bottom edge 24 d of cutting edge 24 and bottomedge 23 d of snow shield 23 of each of the left and right wings 12A, 12Bof blade 12 are placed on the surface “G” or just slightly above surface“G”. The actual height of bottom edges 23 d, 24 d is set utilizing theskid shoes 38, as has been previously described herein.

As the vehicle 10 continues to move in the direction “C”, snow iscaptured by the curved blade 12 and is pushed forwardly in front ofblade 12 and thereby removed from the surface “G”.

FIG. 10A shows blade 12 again but the snow has been removed from thefigure for clarity of illustration. Both the bottom 24 d of cutting edge24 and the bottom 23 d of shield 23 are in contact with the surface “G”or in close proximity thereto as blade 12 travels with utility vehicle10 in the direction “C”. Additionally, the shoe 38 b of skid shoe 38slides along surface “G”. If the operator wishes to lift the bottomedges 24 d, 23 d further off the surface “G”, he or she will adjust thedistance of the blade 12 from the surface “G” by increasing the numberof washers 38 e below skid shoe mount 38 c. Increasing the number ofwashers 38 e will lift the cutting edge 24 and snow shield 23 slightlyfurther off the surface “G” but the shoe 38 b of the skid shoe 38 willcontinue to slide over the surface “G”. If the operator finds the blade12 is not adequately clearing snow “S” from surface “G”, he or she canremove one or more washers 38 e from the group of washers 38 e below theskid shoe mount 38 c. The removal of one or more washers 38 e will lowerthe blade 12, moving it closer to the surface “G” and thereby bringbottom ends 24 d, 23 d into better contact with surface “G”. Shoe 38 bof skid shoe 38 will continue to slide across the surface “G” as before.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show that the surface “G” has an obstacle “G1” at alocation a distance in front of the vehicle 10 and the left wing 12A ofblade 12 is in a working position where the blade 12 is able to be usedfor snow removal. In this particular instance, the obstacle “G1” is inthe form of raised region of the roadway or sidewalk along which thevehicle 10 is moving. In particular, the elevation of the roadway orsidewalk changes from a first elevation “G” to a second elevation “G2”at the obstacle “G1”. It will be understood that the illustratedobstacle “G1” is exemplary of any type of solid obstacle that may lay inthe path of the moving blade 12. The obstacle “G1” is sufficientlyraised relative to the surface “G” that if the blade 12 strikes it anddoes not trip, the impact could damage blade 12.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure and in order toaid in preventing or limiting impact damage to blade 12, the trip edgeson the blade (i.e., the components 22, 23, and 24 of one or both wings12A, 12B) are designed to trip. The term “trip” is used herein todescribe the pivotal motion of the lower section 22, snow shield 23, andcutting edge 24, in unison, relative to the upper section 20 of themoldboard and about axis “X”. This tripping action occurs when thebottom edge 24 d, 23 d encounters the transition “G1”. The pivotingtripping action is indicated in FIG. 11A by the arrow “D”. When the tripedge pivots, it does so about the horizontal axis “X” that extends alongthe first and second sleeves 26, 32 (FIG. 10B) of torsion springassembly. As can be seen in FIG. 11A, pivotal motion in the direction ofarrow “D” moves the trip edge 22, 23, 24 out of alignment with the uppersection 20 of the moldboard. The tripping motion helps the blade skipover the obstacle “G1”, therefore avoiding impact or limiting damagethereto. The pivotal motion winds up torsion springs 28, 34.

Simultaneous pivoting of the trip edge, i.e., lower section 22, snowshield 23, and cutting edge 24, on both wings 12A, 12B also causes asubstantially simultaneous pivoting motion in one or both snow shields23. In particular, if, as the trip edges pivot, the snow shield on theleft wing 12A contacts the snow shield 23 on the right wing 12B, thenone or both snow shields 23 will pivot along the associated pivot axis“Z” (FIG. 11B). This pivotal motion is indicated in FIG. 11B by thearrows “E”. As the snow shield 23 pivots, the coil spring 50 iscompressed in overall length. This can be seen by comparing FIGS. 10Band 11B. The snow shield 23 pivots away from the longitudinal axis “Y”and towards the second side 22 f of lower section 22. The pivotingmotion in the direction “E” breaks contact between the two snow shields23 and therefore the pivoting motion of the trip edges in the direction“D” can occur without interfering with each other. It will be understoodthat the snow shield 23 of right wing 12B will pivot away from thelongitudinal axis “Y” and in an opposite direction to the snow shield 23of left wing 12A, thus increasing a lateral distance between the firstside edges 23 e of the two snow shields 23. The two snow shields 23 onthe left and right wings 12A, 12B therefore do not interfere with oneanother as the trip edges of the left and right wings 12A, 12B pivot inthe direction “D”. Additionally, as the trip edge of left wing 12A (orright wing 12B) trips and pivots, the skid shoe 38 thereon will belifted off the surface “S”.

Utility vehicle 10 will continue moving forwardly in the direction ofarrow “C” and as soon as the trip edge has pivoted about the horizontalaxis “X” and the snow shields 23 have pivoted about the pivot axis “Z”,the spring force exerted by the torsion springs 28, 34 will cause thetrip edge to automatically return to its original position where thelower section 22 is vertically aligned with upper section 20.Effectively, the “trip event” is over and the trip edge returns to aposition where it effectively aids the upper section 20 of the moldboardto remove snow from the surface “G2”. In particular, the first andsecond torsion springs 28, 34 will return to their at-rest position andas they do so, the second ends 28 b, 34 b thereof will push on the rearsurface 22 b of lower section 22 by way of brackets 22 j and 22 m,forcing the lower section to pivot in the direction “F” (FIG. 12).Shield 23 and cutting edge 24 will pivot in unison with lower section 22about the horizontal axis “X”. This pivotal motion “F” is in theopposite direction to the pivotal motion “D” caused by the tripping ofthe blade 12. The pivotal motion in the direction “F” will continueuntil lower section 22 returns to its at-rest position shown in FIG. 6where it is generally vertically aligned with upper section 20 of themoldboard.

At substantially the same time that the lower section 22, shield 23, andcutting edge 24 are pivoting in the direction “F” about longitudinalaxis “X”, the coil spring 50 will begin to return to its at-restposition (i.e., from the position shown in FIG. 11B to the positionshown in FIG. 10B). As the coil spring 50 expands, it will pivot thesnow shield 23 back towards the central hinge 14. It will be understoodthat the shield 23 on right wing 12B may simultaneously pivot in theopposite direction towards central hinge 14. In other words, the snowshields 23 of the left and right wings 12A, 12B will each pivot backtowards the central hinge 14 and towards each other, returning to theorientation they were in before the impact with the obstacle “G1” andbefore the trip event.

The pivoting of the lower section 22, shield 23, and cutting edge 24 inthe direction “F” will also bring skid shoe 38 once again back intocontact with surface “G”. Continued motion of the vehicle 10 in thedirection indicated by arrow “C” will allow blade 12 to continue toremove snow “S” from the surface. That surface is now the elevatedsurface “G2”.

As indicated earlier herein, the left wing 12A and right wing 12B arecapable of articulating relative to one another about central hinge 14.The operator will utilize the control panel 10 b on vehicle 10 tomanipulate the left and right wings 12A, 12B to the desired orientationrelative to one another to effectively remove snow “S” from surface “G”or “G2”. In other words, the wings 12A, 12B can form an invertedV-shape, a straight blade shape, or a V-shape or any shape therebetween.In any of these instances, should another trip event occur, the pivotingtrip edge 22, 23, 24 and the translating snow shield 23 (i.e., the pivotsnow shield 23) will ensure there is little likelihood of damageoccurring to the cutting edge 24 and snow shields 23 through inadvertentcontact between the two wings 12A, 12B.

A method of using blade 12 in accordance with the present disclosure, aswill be summarized hereafter, helps to ensure that the blade 12 will beless likely to be damaged if it impacts an obstacle “G1” while beingused to clear snow off a surface “G”. The method includes providing atrip edge 22, 23, 24 on a moldboard 20 of each of a left wing 12A and aright wing 12B of the V-blade 12; biasing the trip edge 22, 23, 24 intoalignment with the upper section 20 of the moldboard with a torsionspring assembly, biasing a show shield 23 on the trip edge 22, 23, 24toward a central shaft 14; impacting an obstacle “G1” on a surface “G”with the trip edge 22, 23, 24; pivoting (in a direction “D”—FIG. 11A)the trip edge 22, 23, 24 relative to the upper section 20 of themoldboard about a horizontal axis “X” when the trip edge impacts theobstacle “G1”; and simultaneously translating the snow shield 23 awayfrom the central shaft 14 and about an axis “Z” and relative to thelower section 22 of the moldboard. The translating of the two snowshields 23 away from each other occurs when the snow shields 23 begin tocontact each other as the trip edges pivot. The pivoting of the snowshields 23 in a first direction “E” includes pivoting the snow shield 23away from a central shaft 14 with which each of the left wing 12A andright wing 12B are engaged. The pivoting of the trip edge 22, 23, 24 andthe translation or pivoting of the snow shield 23 away from the centralshaft 14 stores potential spring force in the torsion spring assembly28, 24 and coil spring 50, respectively.

The snowplow 10 will continue to move forwardly in the direction “C” andbeyond the obstacle “G1”. Substantially immediately after the trip edge22, 23, 24 has pivoted in the direction “D” and the snow shield 23 hastranslated about the pivot axis “Z”, the trip edge will start to pivotback to its original position under spring force exerted by the firstand second torsion springs 28, 34; and the snow shield 23 will start topivot back towards the central shaft 14 under spring force exerted asthe coil spring. The pivoting of the trip edge in the direction “F” andtranslating of the snow shield 23 in the opposite direction to arrow “E”continues until the trip edge 22, 23, 24 is once again generally inalignment with the upper section 20 of the moldboard and the snow shield23 is generally vertically aligned with at least part of the centralhinge 14.

The method of using blade 12 further includes providing a snow shield 23along a first side of the trip edge, i.e., the first side 22 e of lowersection 22 of the moldboard and at least partially beneath the centralshaft 14. Having the snow shields 23 of the left wing 12A and right wing12A able to translate away (i.e., pivot away) from one another inopposite directions by moving outwardly away from the central shaft 14and relative to the associated lower section 22, helps to avoidinterfering contact between the trip edge on the left wing 12A and thetrip edge on the right wing 12B. In particular, the ability to pivot thesnow shields relative to their associated trip edges helps to avoidinterfering contact between the snow shield 23 provided on the left wing12A and the snow shield 23 provided on the right wing 12B. Thetranslating of the two snow shields 23 is effectively caused by eachsnow shield pushing the other snow shield away from it.

It will be understood, obviously, that if the obstacle “G1” is only inthe path of one of the left wing 12A and right wing 12B, then only thetrip edge 22, 23, 24 of that particular wing of the blade 12 will trip.If the obstacle “G1” extends across at least a portion of the roadway orsidewalk surface in front of both of the left wing 12A and right wing12B, both trip edges 22, 23, 24 will trip, pivoting about the horizontalaxis “X” and having the snow shields 23 thereon pivoting away from oneanother in order to avoid contact between the two snow shields 23. Thesemotions aid in preventing damage to the trip edges and particularly tothe snow shields 23 provided thereon.

While it has been described that left wing 12A and right wing 12B areengaged with central hinge 14 and are selectively pivotable relative tovertical axis “Y”, it will be understood that in other embodiments, theupper sections 20 of the left and right wings 12A, 12B may be fixedlywelded to a central shaft or post instead of to sleeves 14 a, 14 b, 14 cof a central hinge 14. In these instances, the left and right wings ofthe blade 12 remain in a fixed orientation relative to one another andto the central shaft at all times. In these embodiments, the trip edgewill be substantially as illustrated and described with respect toV-blade 12 and will function in the same way as described herein.

While it has been shown and described herein that the trip edgecomprises the lower section 22 of the moldboard, the snow shield 23, andthe cutting edge, in other embodiments, the snow shield 23 may beomitted from the trip edge. In some embodiments, the snow shield 23 maybe omitted from the V-blade altogether. In other embodiments, the snowshield may be fixedly engaged with central hinge 14 or on a centralshaft. The snow shield may then remain in a fixed orientation relativeto the central hinge 14 or the central shaft at all times.

It will be understood that if cutting edge 24, base plate 40, and/orsnow shield 23 on the left wing 12A or right wing 12B become damaged orworn down over time, the operator may simply remove the fasteners 42and/or 46, disengage the damaged cutting edge 24, base plate 40, and/orsnow shield 23 from the lower section 22 and install a new/replacementcomponent. The new/replacement component will be secured to the lowersection 22 by reengaging the fasteners 42 and/or 46.

Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, ofwhich an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of themethod may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments maybe constructed in which acts are performed in an order different thanillustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, eventhough shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustratedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision avariety of other means and/or structures for performing the functionand/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantagesdescribed herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications isdeemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments describedherein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations describedherein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters,dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon thespecific application or applications for which the inventive teachingsis/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able toascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalentsto the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is,therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presentedby way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claimsand equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventiveembodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individualfeature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein.In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent,is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and inthe claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should beunderstood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used hereinin the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understoodto mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elementsthat are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively presentin other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should beconstrued in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements soconjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than theelements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used inconjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, inone embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B);in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements otherthan A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification andin the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as“and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list,“or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., theinclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a numberor list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Onlyterms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or“exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” willrefer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list ofelements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only beinterpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the otherbut not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,”“one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentiallyof,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used inthe field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” anotherfeature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or elementor intervening features and/or elements may also be present. Incontrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directlyon” another feature or element, there are no intervening features orelements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature orelement is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” toanother feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached orcoupled to the other feature or element or intervening features orelements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element isreferred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or“directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are nointervening features or elements present. Although described or shownwith respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so describedor shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated bythose of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature thatis disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap orunderlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”,“upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be usedherein for ease of description to describe one element or feature'srelationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in thefigures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in use oroperation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. Forexample, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as“under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented“over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under”can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may beotherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and thespatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”,“lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used hereinfor the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicatedotherwise.

Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describevarious features/elements, these features/elements should not be limitedby these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms maybe used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element.Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a secondfeature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussedherein could be termed a first feature/element without departing fromthe teachings of the present invention.

An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure.Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,”“some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplaryembodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but notnecessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances“an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particularembodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or thelike, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.

If this specification states a component, feature, structure, orcharacteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particularcomponent, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to beincluded. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element,that does not mean there is only one of the element. If thespecification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does notpreclude there being more than one of the additional element.

Additionally, the method of performing the present disclosure may occurin a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, nosequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitlystated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of themethod in a different order could achieve a similar result.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of thedisclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exactdetails shown or described.

What is claimed:
 1. A blade for a snowplow comprising: a left wing and aright wing, wherein each of the left wing and the right wing includes: amoldboard; a trip edge; and a biasing assembly that biases the trip edgeinto alignment with the moldboard; wherein when the trip edge is trippedby encountering an obstacle on a surface being cleared of snow by theblade, the biasing assembly enables the trip edge to pivot about ahorizontal axis and relative to the moldboard; and wherein a portion ofthe trip edge is pivotally engaged with a rest of the trip edge and theportion of the trip edge pivots about a pivot axis relative to the restof the trip edge when the trip edge trips.
 2. The blade according toclaim 1, wherein the portion of the trip edge is a snow shield; whereinthe snow shield of the left wing is located adjacent the snow shield ofthe right wing; and wherein the snow shields are configured to pivotaway from each other when the trip edges on the left wing and the rightwing are substantially simultaneously tripped.
 3. The blade according toclaim 1, wherein each trip edge comprises: a first member; and a snowshield; wherein the snow shield is the portion of the trip edge that ispivotally engaged with the rest of the trip edge; and wherein the restof the snow shield is the first member; and wherein the snow shield isconfigured to pivot about a pivot axis relative to the first memberbetween a first position and a second position.
 4. The blade accordingto claim 3, wherein the first member has a first side; and wherein thepivot axis about which the snow shield pivots is oriented parallel tothe first side of the first member.
 5. The blade according to claim 4,wherein the left wing and right wing are selectively rotatable about avertical axis; and wherein the first side of the first member isinclined at an angle relative to the vertical axis.
 6. The bladeaccording to claim 3, wherein the left wing and the right wing extendoutwardly from a vertical axis; and wherein the snow shield is inclinedrearwardly from a first side of the first member and inwardly toward thevertical axis.
 7. The blade according to claim 3, further comprising aspring assembly that urges the snow shield into the first position. 8.The blade according to claim 1, wherein the blade is a multi-positionblade that further comprises a central hinge with which the left wingand right wing are operationally engaged and about which the left wingand the right wing are selectively pivotable into a number of differentconfigurations.
 9. The blade according to claim 1, wherein the biasingassembly is a spring assembly.
 10. The blade according to claim 1,wherein the trip edge of each of the left wing and the right wingincludes a cutting edge that is adapted to contact the surface fromwhich snow is to be removed by the blade when the trip edge is in anon-tripped position.
 11. The blade according to claim 3, wherein abottom end of the snow shield of the trip edge of each of the left wingand the right wing is adapted to contact the surface from which snow isto be removed when the trip edge is in a non-tripped position.
 12. Theblade according to claim 1, further comprising a skid shoe operativelyengaged with the trip edge, and wherein the skid shoe pivots in unisonwith the trip edge.
 13. A method of preventing damage to a blade of asnowplow comprising: operatively engaging a left wing and a right wingof the blade of the snowplow with a central shaft; providing a trip edgeon a moldboard of each of the left wing and the right wing; biasing thetrip edge into alignment with the moldboard; biasing a snow shieldprovided on the trip edge toward the central shaft; pivoting the tripedge relative to the moldboard about a horizontal axis when the tripedge impacts an obstacle on a surface from which the blade is clearingsnow and trips; and pivoting the snow shield relative to a rest of thetrip edge.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pivoting ofthe trip edge about the horizontal axis includes breaking contactbetween the trip edge and the surface from which the blade is clearingsnow.
 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pivoting of thesnow shield includes pivoting the snow shield about a pivot axis thatextends parallel to a first side of a first member of the trip edge. 16.The method according to claim 13, wherein the pivoting of the snowshield includes pivoting the snow shield on the left wing in a firstdirection and pivoting the snow shield on the right wing in an oppositesecond direction; and increasing a gap defined between the snow shieldon the left wing and the snow shield on the right wing.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 13, further comprising pivoting the trip edge in anopposite direction after the trip edge has tripped; and wherein pivotingthe trip edge in the opposite direction includes pivoting the trip edgeback into alignment with the moldboard under spring force.
 18. Themethod according to claim 13, wherein the pivoting of the snow shieldincludes pivoting the snow shield away from the central shaft when thetrip edge trips and is pivoted out of alignment with the moldboard; andwherein the method further includes pivoting the snow shield back towardthe central shaft when the trip edge moves back into alignment with themoldboard.
 19. A snowplow comprising: a vehicle; a multi-positionsnowplow blade; and a hitch assembly that selectively secures themulti-position snowplow blade to the vehicle; and wherein themulti-position snowplow blade comprises: a left wing and a right wingeach including: a moldboard; a trip edge that is selectively pivotableabout a horizontal axis when tripped; and a biasing assembly that biasesthe trip edge into alignment with the moldboard; wherein the trip edgeincludes a snow shield that is pivotally engaged with a rest of the tripedge; and wherein the snow shield is pivotable relative to the rest ofthe trip edge when the trip edge pivots about the horizontal axis. 20.The snowplow according to claim 19, wherein the hitch assembly isoperable to reconfigure the multi-position snowplow blade and tomaneuver the multi-position snowplow blade relative to the utilityvehicle.